Cal to play Oregon at 49ers' new stadium next season

BERKELEY -- There won't be a weeknight 49ers game at Levi's Stadium in its debut season next fall, but Cal and Oregon will clash Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 in the first college football game at the new $1.3 billion facility in Santa Clara.

Local officials were concerned about neighborhood traffic snarls during rush hour, so the 49ers won't play on Monday Night Football or on Thursdays at home in 2014.

Instead, the first weeknight game at Levi's Stadium will feature the Bears and Ducks in a Pac-12 Conference matchup whose kickoff time is yet to be determined. The game will be aired on either ESPN or Fox, which likely will have a say in the start time.

Fans in the East Bay will be able to use Amtrak trains directly from Berkeley to Santa Clara, which could help reduce traffic.

Cal considered a proposal earlier this year to play Stanford in the 2014 Big Game at Levi's Stadium, but a sharp reaction from fans and alums to moving the game out of Memorial Stadium shelved the idea.

This game, which could earn Cal athletics as much as $1 million, still gives the Bears a piece of history.

"Playing the first college football game at Levi's Stadium provides an exceptional opportunity for our student-athletes, alumni, students and fans to be some of the first to experience the new venue, one that will soon play host to a Super Bowl," Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour said in a statement.

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Levi's Stadium, which will seat 68,500, is scheduled to open for the 2014 football season as the new home for the 49ers. The stadium will serve as the site for Super Bowl L in 2016 and the annual Fight Hunger Bowl beginning next year.

The first sporting event scheduled for Levi's Stadium is a Major League Soccer matchup between the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 2.

Pac-12 football teams are required by their new TV agreement to play an average of two Thursday or Friday night games every three seasons. That's problematic for Cal, where parking on campus is limited and fans have virtually no options when spots are taken by students and faculty.

Barbour said moving this game to Santa Clara gives the university administration the ability to study the effects of weeknight games and develop solutions for hosting games under those circumstances in Berkeley.

Cal coach Sonny Dykes is excited about the prospect of his team playing in the NFL facility.

"I know that our players will embrace the chance to play Oregon at Levi's Stadium next fall, and I'm sure our fans will create a great atmosphere for our team," he said.

Cal season-ticket holders will have the opportunity to opt-in to purchase seats to the Cal-Oregon game in addition to the six-game Memorial Stadium package.

Cal students will have access to tickets at a significant discount and complimentary transportation to the game.